Last night, a swarm of officers from UCPD (UCLA Police Department), CHP, LASD, and LAPD swarmed the campus of UCLA, destroying the encampment that had been built by pro-peace protesters over the past week. These combined forces arrested and booked over 200 people.
Earlier in the day, Pro-Palestinian students held a rally down the stairs from the encampment, decrying how the university responded to a Tuesday evening assault by Pro-Israel counterprotesters - that has still resulted in no arrests - and calling for the university to disclose and divest from its interests in Israeli companies and companies supporting the war on Gaza. They were supported by UCLA faculty and labor union UAW Local 4811, who have called for a strike authorization vote - meaning that the union of academic workers at the UC system will be voting whether to go on strike based on what they see as the university violating the rights of their workers.
The UC police called for a dispersal order within the encampment after 6 PM, telling everyone present that they could face arrest or serious injury if they remained in Dickson Plaza. Protestors responded by reinforcing barricades, sharing resources like helmets, goggles, food, and water, as well as hand warmers with each other. There was a prayer session, as well as “quiet hours” after 11 PM, in order for protestors to get some rest. The camp was filled with Pro-Palestinian artwork and messages of solidarity.